Focusing tips for better results

There’s the hard way, and then there’s the easy way. There’s also the right way, which may seem hard, but better to get it right early on, wouldn’t you say? Read this week’s content marketing news digest for tips that can help you meet your goals—and realize the results others expect from you. You’ll find guidelines for creating high-quality videos, a writing primer that may help you identify confusing content, an explanation of how to use the Facebook Insights analysis tool, and more.

Eight Quick Tips to Help You Create High-Quality Videos
By Rob Zaleski at MarketingProfs
Smile! Then check for spinach in the teeth, because little things can derail the biggest video plans and budgets. Read Zaleski’s checklist of items to avoid before you or your agency starts filming—and make sure the end result doesn’t cause viewers to grimace.

How misplaced modifiers muck up your message
By Laura Hale Brockway at Ragan’s PR Daily
Leave the misplaced modifiers to the comedians. Groucho Marx’s line about “One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas…” has been hysterically funny for decades, but for the rest of us mortals, incorrect modifiers just confuse readers. See Brockway’s article for a few laughs and examples of incorrect modifier use to avoid.

How to Use Facebook Insights to Improve Your Engagement
By Andrea Vahl at Social Media Examiner
How do you identify the content that engages audiences? You could start by reading Vahl’s step-by-step primer on using the Facebook Insights tool. You’ll see how to better understand content reach, longevity, and engagement.

Social Media Update: Adoption Trends, by Demographic
Marketing Charts Staff Report
Speaking of audiences, you know it’s critical to attract the right folks to your content stream. This summary of recent Pew Internet & American Life Project research categorizes social media usage by age, education, and preferred platform. Worth a look for any content marketer serious about focusing on the people who matter most to campaigns.

Top 25 Social Media Marketing Tips from the Experts
By Scott Sims at Business 2 Community
Checklists help many of us focus. Sims, CEO of a social media automation software company, has done us a service by compiling a short list of items to consider in social campaigns and daily interactions. Sure, you probably know many of these already, but reading—or maybe even printing out—this list may help boost your social media efficacy.